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Tuesday, April 18, 2006

 

Our Newest Op Ed...

Can A Book Harass at Ohio State University?
- By Warner Todd Huston


Conservatives are not anti-intellectual. I say that to immediately put to rest the first suspicion that many extremist, leftists have when another story crops up featuring Conservatives bemoaning leftist bias in our nation's Universities.

Not to sound too pointy-headed, but some of my own recent book purchases include a three volume set of Plutarch's "Lives", an antique copy of the results of the 1860 US Census, an 8 vol. Collection of The Papers of Abraham Lincoln, a 13 Vol. Collection of Thomas Paine's Collected Works, and "The Failure of the Founding Fathers" by Bruce Ackerman, the last a book about the results of the 1800 presidential election and Jefferson's fight with the Supreme Court under Justice John Marshall. Not really what one might call "light" reading there wouldn't you say?

I know of many Conservatives who spend several hours every day reading, whether it be the Wall Street Journal, modern or classic literature, history books and magazines as well as the dozens of popular websites out there that are daily updated. A Conservative is usually no slouch in the continuing education dept., for sure.

So, with that said, we are confronted with yet one more example of the insincerity, oppressive and downright anti-intellectual nature of our nation's professorate.

Ohio State University Librarian, Scott Savage, is being charged with harassment by OSU officials because he attempted to add four current books that present a conservative point of view to a first year reading program reading list. Savage suggested adding The Marketing of Evil by David Kupelian, The Professors by David Horowitz, Eurabia: The Euro-Arab Axis by Bat Ye'or, and It Takes a Family by Senator Rick Santorum to the reading list when he saw that the rest of the list contained books sporting all left leaning view points.

Once word got out to Savage's "learned" colleagues, they filed harassment letters with OSU officials claiming that his addition of the conservative books made them feel "unsafe" in the workplace. This caused the OSU officials to file harassment charges and begin an investigation against Scott Savage.

"Unsafe" in the workplace? What does this even mean? Are we saying that the three professors that filed claims of feeling "unsafe" in the workplace think that these books are akin to harassment? Are they saying, then, that these books should be banned from the list, perhaps from the University itself?

But, haven't we heard these very types of educators claim that mere words are harmless, that books and ideas should never be banned because that would be a crime against education, much less freedom of expression? So, how do these books, one written by a sitting US Senator no less, constitute harassment?

Of course these were rhetorical questions and we all know the answer: the claim of harassment is absurd. Worse, the claims are disingenuous. These petty, conniving, oppressive "professors" aren't trying to make themselves feel "safe" in the workplace, they are simply trying at censorship quite to the contrary of the claims of their colleagues for an educational establishment free of such actions otherwise.

But, here is the worst part. The administration is indulging these foolish teachers with their childish pique instead of treating their "complaint" with the contempt it deserves. Ridiculously, OSU officials are acting as if these are serious complaints.

This proves not just that our professors are hateful of freedom of expression, free inquiry, and a well-rounded education for our children and young students, but that our University administrators are too weak to stand up to radicalism and are woefully free of common sense and a willingness to fight for what is right.

Parents, I urge you, if you are paying for your child's University education, refuse to do so if they are attending the likes of Ohio State University. It wouldn't be out of pique or anti-intellectualism that you would be doing so, it would be for just the opposite... unlike the professors there.

By Warner Todd Huston
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